The King of Comedy is a film that you don't hear much about. It's a Martin Scorsese film that I think is often forgotten and I actually had no idea it existed until about a year ago and I thought it was good. It has very good performances by Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis, and I thought the characters were very interesting, especially Rupert Pupkin (De Niro).
Pupkin is a psychopath who is obsessed with being on Jerry Lewis' show so he can become famous as a stand up comedian. De Niro's performance is pretty compelling and I thought there were many similarities to Taxi Driver, as far as the character goes. Pupkin is a very interesting character to watch and it's just entertaining to see how he reacts to the world around him and he's a strangely sympathetic character as well. Jerry Lewis' character is also great. I loved how he's presented as a very famous person who seems like a nice person but is just tired of the public eye and I think Scorsese and Lewis did a great job in portraying these emotions. These are the things I liked the most about King of Comedy, I think it's a movie completely driven by the performances and the compelling characters.
Unlike Taxi Driver however, King of Comedy is a very straight forward film as far as directing and cinematography goes. The movie doesn't really have any moment that stands out and it just feels like the whole movie we are watching these characters interact with the environment but since the direction is pretty straightforward there's almost no artistic stamp on the movie, so it doesn't really feel like a Scorsese film.
Because our main character is so stubborn and is completely set on accomplishing his goal, the movie does seem a little repetitive at times and the best word to describe it would be frustrating. Frustrating in the sense that the characters are frustrating and the way they end up interacting with each other is frustrating. They experience no arc. There is no catharsis so in the end as a viewer it feels unsatisfying.
The King of Comedy is not a perfect film, but it's a movie that did something different and it features great performances and compelling characters, even if the story may be frustrating at times, I can't deny I was invested in Pupkin and his actions. 7.0/10
Pupkin is a psychopath who is obsessed with being on Jerry Lewis' show so he can become famous as a stand up comedian. De Niro's performance is pretty compelling and I thought there were many similarities to Taxi Driver, as far as the character goes. Pupkin is a very interesting character to watch and it's just entertaining to see how he reacts to the world around him and he's a strangely sympathetic character as well. Jerry Lewis' character is also great. I loved how he's presented as a very famous person who seems like a nice person but is just tired of the public eye and I think Scorsese and Lewis did a great job in portraying these emotions. These are the things I liked the most about King of Comedy, I think it's a movie completely driven by the performances and the compelling characters.
Unlike Taxi Driver however, King of Comedy is a very straight forward film as far as directing and cinematography goes. The movie doesn't really have any moment that stands out and it just feels like the whole movie we are watching these characters interact with the environment but since the direction is pretty straightforward there's almost no artistic stamp on the movie, so it doesn't really feel like a Scorsese film.
Because our main character is so stubborn and is completely set on accomplishing his goal, the movie does seem a little repetitive at times and the best word to describe it would be frustrating. Frustrating in the sense that the characters are frustrating and the way they end up interacting with each other is frustrating. They experience no arc. There is no catharsis so in the end as a viewer it feels unsatisfying.
The King of Comedy is not a perfect film, but it's a movie that did something different and it features great performances and compelling characters, even if the story may be frustrating at times, I can't deny I was invested in Pupkin and his actions. 7.0/10